Story No. 7

A stingy rich man had a sick son. Well wishers told him: the wise course is to arrange a recitation of the whole Quran for his sake, or to offer a sacrifice. He sank into thought for a while, then said: better a Quran that stays untouched than a flock that wanders off, better to spend words on the book than to give up a sheep from my herd. A discerning man heard this and said: he chose the recitation for one reason, that the Quran is only on the tongue, while gold sits deep in the heart. How sad, that bowing your neck in obedience would be so much better if it came with an open hand. For a single coin they get stuck like a donkey in mud, but ask them to recite the Fatiha and they will read it a hundred times.